legal jointure
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A property settlement secured to a wife by law: A "legal jointure" is a provision, established before marriage, where a specific estate or property is settled upon a wife. This arrangement is made in place of her traditional common-law right to a dower (a life interest in a portion of her deceased husband's estate). It is a formal, legally binding agreement.
Usage
- The term is primarily used in historical and legal contexts, specifically in property law relating to marriage settlements.
- It refers to the specific estate or income secured to the wife, not the act of securing it.
Examples
- Noun:
- The marriage contract included a legal jointure of the manor house and its surrounding lands for the bride.
- By accepting the legal jointure, she forfeited her future claim to a dower right in his other properties.
Advanced Usage
- "To settle a jointure": This phrase describes the act of creating the legal jointure agreement.
- The family's lawyer was tasked with settling a jointure upon the heir's prospective wife.
Variants and Related Words
- Jointure (n): The more common, general term for the estate or property settled. "Legal jointure" emphasizes its formal, statutory nature.
- Dower (n): The traditional right or interest it replaces.
- Marriage Settlement (n): The broader legal agreement of which a jointure may be a part.
- Tenant in tail (n): A related property law term; a jointure could be settled out of an entailed estate.
Synonyms
- Settled estate (for a wife)
- Marriage portion (in this specific, secured sense)
- Provision
Notes
- This is a specialized term from English common law, largely historical. Modern equivalents are prenuptial agreements or specific trusts established within a marriage settlement. The key distinction is its function as a pre-arranged, fixed alternative to the dower.
Noun
- (law) an estate secured to a prospective wife as a marriage settlement in lieu of a dower